Silent majority share my concerns about polarised views coming to the surface

MANY people who collectively make up the tolerant, decent and well-mannered ‘silent majority’ of our society will, I am sure, share my concerns or even alarm about the increasingly polarised and entrenched attitudes of the various protagonists in the unresolved Brexit issue and especially the ill-mannered and spiteful accusations and counter-accusations which this has engendered.

That this issue remains unresolved some three and a half years after the narrow majority ( with only a 65% turnout) in the 2016 referendum is, I feel, due to politicians on both sides of the debate treating the matter as one of great opportunism. Boris Johnson made no secret of his political ambitions and, together with other extreme Brexiteers, undermined Theresa May’s endeavours at every opportunity.

Jeremy Corbyn, clearly wishing to antagonise neither the majority of Labour ‘leave’-voters nor the many MP ‘remainers’ in his party, has consistently failed to explain his own position or plans but missed no opportunity to cynically condemn as “unacceptable” the proposals of others.

The new leader of the Liberal-Democrats has joined the political race with a high-stakes declaration of intent to discount the whole business and associated legislation.

Over the years since the 2016 vote many thousands of young people will have become entitled to vote and a number of mainly older people will have been lost from the electoral register.

It is quite possible that some people will have revised their original opinion, in either direction.

It would surely be appropriate at this juncture to allow the present electorate the opportunity to confirm (or otherwise) the now historic decision of 2016 with a new referendum. After all, we recognize the importance of holding a General Election every few years to allow for revised opinions and changed demographics. And I speak as one who voted to leave in the previous referendum.

Andrew Yardley, Burbage.